


Full Marks

by Just_Call_Me_Floss



Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018) Actor RPF, Queen - Fandom, Queen Cast
Genre: Angst, Comfort, Eventual Smut, Family, Fluff, Hurt, M/M, Museum!Joe, Teacher!Ben, ben is a teacher, im a sucker for single dad joe, joe is a single dad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-08-22
Packaged: 2020-02-09 17:52:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18643096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Just_Call_Me_Floss/pseuds/Just_Call_Me_Floss
Summary: Ben just so happens to fall head over heels for a Mysterious Man who loves baseball and cracking terrible jokes. Mysterious Man also turns out to be the father of one of Ben’s students.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is a work in progress and may not have a strong update schedule BUT I try to aim to post on a Monday

Ben had always had a bad habit of chewing the tops of his pens and pencils, he’d always done it, even when he was a young boy. It had only gotten worse when he became a teacher. He had to have emergency boxes of pens stashed in his draws for when he’s got a busy day of marking. Such as today. He sighed, scribbling another correction onto the page. Roger was a good kid, but was always distracted, and his work showed it. His works always had more crosses than ticks, but Ben was starting to see an improvement. Slow, but could make something of his life. 

It was bright outside, the spring air crisp and refreshing as school ended for another day. Kids were running around, some towards their parents while others ran away, not wanting the day with friends to end. That’s the thing; everyone at this school knew one another, with just over seventy students enrolled. With the small classes and less workload, there were seven teachers, one principle and two janitors. And Ben was the youngest.

Most of the teachers were mid-to-late thirties, the principle being well in his fifties and both janitors being retired but wanting to keep the boredom away. Ben, mid-twenties, had only just gotten his teaching degree when he got the position. Straight out of University and into a somewhat stable job. What a dream. Ben had already gotten a house, which he shares with his long-time-and-also-British friend, Gwilym. When the blond had first moved over to the states to study, Gwil was mid-way through his veterinary course, and his girlfriend (who was on the same course as Ben) introduced the two Brits. They hit it off instantly, and stayed friends throughout the anxiety ridden years of studying. After knowing each other for four years (with Ben having finished his history degree and jumping right back in to get his teaching degree), the two had decided to get a small house. Two bedrooms and one shitty bathroom was more than enough for the two (plus Gwil’s girlfriend), and they had become homeowners. It was a commute for Ben to get to Uni, but a short drive to another town and Ben could jump on the train and avoid traffic.

Gwil got a job in the local vet clinic, Animal Ark, and although still only being an assistant, loved it. The town was small, with just over a thousand residents, but they were very proud of being independent. Had a ‘high street’ - charity shops and cafes included, a museum of the town (with a dinosaur bone that had been found taking pride of place), an art gallery which was really a small bistro with local artists works available to buy, a small shopping centre and about three parks - one of which includes a lake AND baseball set up. The place was small, but it was home. 

Ben had known the principle of the primary school as he had come in and did a few talks about the benefits of teaching the youngsters. He had offered Ben a job on his final year of studying, so Ben had been the receptionist for one term, but when one of the teachers left, Ben got his own class. A bunch of bright six year olds could be exhausting, scratch that, WAS exhausting, but they were the first group he had ever taught. He helped with other ages as well, when needed, and his reenactment of history was well loved by all ages. But, he thrived at sports, and was the official goalkeeper for the older sports lessons. A bunch of seven to eleven year olds could really put some power behind a football if they think that’s the way of winning. 

But still, marking could be a bore, and Ben always found himself daydreaming. His eyes wandered around his bright class as he gnawed down on the lid of the biro in his hands, and although the bright colours of posters and children’s work were usually a heartwarming heart to him, today he found them making him feel trapped. Turning his head to his right, he watched as some of his students still lingered on the front lawn. Beth, a bright and very eccentric six (nearly seven) year old stood below the old oak, fiddling with the straps on her bags as she waited to be picked up. Usually a dark haired man with big, blue eyes would be outside waiting, but evidently not today. She seemed to be expecting this though, and didn’t look overly worried, just bored of waiting. 

Ben leant back in his seat, pulling of his reading glasses as he rubbed at the top of his nose, knowing there’d be a red mark from where his glasses sat. He glanced down at the marking he still had to do and groaned, pulling the pen from between his teeth and placing it alongside the papers. A Friday was usually fun, and many people looked forward to it. Ben did, usually, excitedly making plans which wouldn’t come to anything with his housemate who works more weekends than not - but his class had some tests coming up, and although not being overly important, Ben was stressing to show his students that they shouldn’t stress for tests. So, a little added work to recap what they’ve already been taught has added a couple extra hours of work for their teacher. 

Ignoring the extra work he made himself, Ben resumes looking out the window. Beth was still there, but was now walking towards a man who seemed to be out of breath. Ben sat up, his anxiety of students being kidnapped making his heart beat so loud Ben didn’t think he could hear anything if he tried. His jumped up, plastering his face against the window. Johnathan, another teacher, was standing near the doors, and was also watching the two. But, Beth wrapped her little arms around his legs, and the man seemed to be apologising like crazy, instead of grabbing her and running. And also, it looked like he had sprinted here, going by how out of breath he was and the sweat stains on the chest of his button-up. Looking closer, Ben managed to pick out the man's hair colour, and the messy auburn brown matched the girls previously believed unusual colour. The man also seemed to have similar features; the long nose, out of proportion limb length and the elegant clumsiness. Yet, this man was the hottest guy Ben had ever seen. He gasped, feeling his palms go sweaty as he couldn’t pull his eyes away from the figure now talking to Beth. Obviously, they were related, and Ben would do anything to hear what they were talking about. His mouth went wide as he watched the man throw his head back and laugh, grasping Beth's shoulders as his entire body seems to fill with joy.

Ben was about to crack open the window to get a better look when a knock on his open door brought him back to the present. “Fancy a coffee?” Mrs June, one of the teachers with the younger groups held up a steaming cup, leaning against the doorframe.

“Uhmmm…” Ben looked down at his desk, and moved away from the window to clear a space for the mug. “Yeah, thanks Julie,” he smiled as she crossed the room to place down the coffee. She raised her eyebrows at his marking sheets, but said nothing as she turned and left the room.

Ben turned and scrambled back to the window, but the Mystery Man had gone.


	2. Chapter 2

Frankie was the love of Ben’s life, and he would do anything short of murder for her. She was the only girl in the states who had his heart, and that’s the way it’ll always be, until the day he died. It didn’t matter that she was a dog, she had him wrapped around her little paw. That’s how she was currently eating packaged ham, which was meant to be saved for Ben’s dinner. But honestly, the way her eyes lit up each time he tossed her some more, Ben didn’t care if he starved. His baby was happy, so he was happy too. 

It was early afternoon, sometime after two, and Ben had just finished his marathon of Brooklyn-Nine-Nine, so it was time to walk off some of the Doritos and burn through some of the coffee he just gulped down. Unlike most dogs, who get excited when they see their leash in their owner’s hands, Frankie either hid or stood stock still. This time, she sprinted through the cramped kitchen and ducked under the wonky coffee table. Ben sighed, leash in hand, and contributed to the five minute chase of catching his dog to go for a walk. The funny thing is, Frankie loves walks, and will take forever doing her business and tugging Ben after any animal she sees, but she just doesn’t like the leash. Adopting her as a stray pup from Animal Ark, Ben thought it’d be easy, a little companion for when his mind goes to those dark places. Gwil thought it was a good idea too, which is why he kept the little pup found in a cardboard box to one side until his friend could come in and see her. But it turns out, along with a pup comes a lot of chaos. So under a year worth of mayhem later, the household has accepted to go with the flow of the furballs destruction.

Finally cliping her leash to her collar, Ben cheered in victory. He grabbed his keys from the mess on the side table, and before Frankie could tug herself free, they both were outside and the front door locked behind them. Ben grinned down at his companion, who glared back before changing moods completely and darting off, knowing Ben would rather sprint alongside her than tug on her collar. So, the two were down the street and well on their way to the big park before anyone really noticed.

As feet and paws moved from tarmac to grass, they slowed, both panting and taking a moment to get their breathes back. It was a mutual thing, for them to get to the park and begin walking, so Ben didn’t mind the sprint to get there. His fitness was well maintained, anyway. 

The two strolled, Ben nattering down to the beagle as if they were having a normal conversation. The park was big enough that no one found it overly weird to see a grown man talking to his dog. Ben knew it was a bad habit, but he tugged out a cigarette and his trusty lighter, and continued his train of thought whilst he smoked. Frankie didn’t care, even if Gwil tried again and again to throw his packs away. It was good source of comfort and helped him think when he was deep in his own mind.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do, Franks,” Ben kicked at the dirt, one eye on his dog (investigating under a bush) and the other on a baseball game going on in the distance. When he first came over, Ben never really understood the hype surrounding baseball, and didn’t really now either. It was similar to a game he used to play called rounders, so Ben guessed that seeing another variation of the game wasn’t actually that exciting. 

He drew a smoke, holding it in for moment before blowing the smoke out, repeating the process as he watched the teams swap side. This town was big on baseball, and there was usually a game of sorts going on every weekend. The participants of this match seemed good enough, coordinating shirts colours into greens and reds, with reds now fielding. 

Ben gave a gentle tug on Frankie’s leash, and she came out from under the bush, covered up to her chest in dirt and dust but that’s a future Ben problem. Now Ben problem is how he wants to get closer to the game. Taking slow drags from his cigarette, Ben wandered over, trying to make sense on how certain balls were called fouls. He frowned, dropping his cigarette on the floor and stamping it out. Oddly, Frankie stayed near his side, and when they were close enough, his little lady sat down, also seemed transfixed by the game. For a couple of minutes, they just watched. The greens were pretty good, and both teams seemed to be taking it very seriously. Ben wasn’t close enough to see who was actually on what team, but he could hear the shouts of excitement/annoyance. He heard someone curse out Dave, who was a barista in ‘Delilah’ (Alright coffee, let dogs in, so Ben would sometimes go there when he didn’t know what else to do), and watching Dave run, yep, that's barista Dave. 

The old bleachers seemed to have a few families on, and Ben thought he could make out Lucy’s blonde hair. Another vet, she and Gwil got on well, like brother and sister. She seemed to be there with her mysterious boyfriend she’d mentioned to Gwil a few times but never introduced. Ben’s nosey side flared up, and he started walking a bit closer, but not close enough to be spotted. Or so he thought.

\-------------------------

Beth didn’t mind sitting and watching her dad play - he loved the game, and she did too - but sometimes she got distracted. Sitting with Uncle Rami and Lucy, she fiddled with the bottom of her shorts, pulling on a loose thread as she looked around, eyes cast out further than the game. There was someone standing far off and it looked like he had a dog. Beth perked up. She’d be asking her dad for a dog for awhile, and he was starting to agree with her, but if she showed that she was good, she knew she could get one quicker. She watched as they stood in the distance, but much to her delight, the figure started approaching. Beth was practically vibrating in her seat waiting until the perfect moment to prove to her dad that she is ready for a dog. 

She bounds up, deciding now was better than ever, and jumped down the bleachers she’s grown up on. She ignores Uncle Rami shouting after her and makes it to the grass unstopped. She races across the ground, and notices that the owner is very familiar.

“Mr. Hardy!” She screamed in excitement, which caught both her teachers and fathers attention. She barrels on, her teacher looking shocked to see a six year old approaching rapidly in a full sprint.

Behind her, her father notices what’s going on, “ah shit,” he leaves his position. His daughter is quick, always has been, and it was at this moment that Joe wished he was quicker. She was sprinting towards a mysterious figure, and his fear kicked in.

“ELIZABETH!” He screamed, legs picking up pace in a desperate attempt to catch up with her. The shouts from his team mates (he missed the ball thrown in his direction, more concerned with his own flesh and blood) were only a second thought as he watched his daughter barrel into the legs of the blond man. The man stumbled, Beth still holding his legs, before he fell backwards, landing heavily on his ass.

Eventually, the frantic father got to the two still on the floor. He scooped up his daughter, “Elizabeth! What were you thinking?” He checked her over, ignoring her muttered, “it’s Beth, dad,” before putting her back down and turning his attention to the guy on the floor.

\------------

Ben only had a moment to brace himself after hearing one of his students scream his name before Beth barreled full speed into his legs. He managed to stumble backwards before falling onto his backside, grunting his curses as he took the full weight of a six year old to his knees and groin. Frankie ran around him, pulling at her leash in confusion and panic, before Ben reached over and grabbed her close, counting up to ten before trying to move. He ached, but would survive, although he’s not planning on moving too much right at the moment.

Beth was pulled off of him, and Ben just focused on breathing and petting Frankie, before he felt a weight on his shoulder. “You alright, man?” Ben glanced up at the new voice, and gasped.

Mystery Man from yesterday was kneeling beside him. Hazel eyes scanned the blonds face, and Ben couldn’t help but notice how when Mystery Man frowned, he pouted. “Umm-” Ben pulled Frankie onto his lap as she began to settle “-yeah, just a bit sore”. Using his dog as an excuse, Ben focused on stroking Frankie, eyes falling onto her knowing eyes. If he hadn’t, he’d have definitely done something stupid.

“I’m so sorry for Elizabeth,” Mystery Man stood, silencing his complaining child with a well measured glance, “she can just get a bit excitable”.

“Nah, it’s alright man,” Ben inwardly cringed Why the hell did I call him ‘man’? The first hot guy in ages and you ‘man’ him. Fucking great. “She’s one of my students, actually”.

“Oh!” Ben pulled his eyes from Frankie’s incredibly interesting fur and squinted up at Mystery Man. He seemed pleasantly excited, smiling at his daughter (who was now holding his hand) and back at Ben, “Beth told me she had a new teacher! I’m Joe, her dad!” He thrusted forward his free hand, and for an awkward moment, Ben didn’t move to take it. Kicking himself again, Ben gently pushed Frankie off his lap and reached up and grabbed Joe’s hand. Joe didn’t hesitate and pulled Ben up until he was standing. 

Joe was slightly shorter than Ben, but well built. Not muscular, but not scrawny either. Ben smiled, and faked enough confidence to shake his hand. “Ben”. Joe’s hair was hidden under a baseball cap, but enough was curling around his ears that Ben knew his observation from yesterday was true - yes, they both had the same hair colour. It seemed to glow in the afternoon sun.

“That’s a lot better than me calling you ‘Mr. Hardy’ in my head. Imagined you to be in your late forties or something,” Joe laughed, and the two hands separated. “Ben suits you”.

“Oh, um, thanks?” Ben laughed awkwardly, not knowing if to take the fact his name suits him as a compliment or not. “Yeah, better than calling you Mr. Mazzello”.

“Ew, don’t”. Joe rolled his eyes, ignoring his daughter who was now pulling on his hand as she crouched to pet Frankie, who, honestly, loved having a kids attention. “Mr. Mazzello was my father’s name”.

“Joe it is”. Ben grinned, glancing over to the baseball match. They all seemed to be calling for Joe to return. At the same time, the usual guy who picks up Beth was approaching, stopping by Joe’s side. 

“Beth! Don’t ever run off like that again!” Green eyes crouched down, gently grabbing the little girl by the chin and pulling her to face his direction, “you can’t just do that! I was very scared”. Beth pouted, but nodded, wrapping little arms around the guys neck. He scooped her up, holding her close. It was only then when he turned to Ben. “Hey,” he nodded, looking between Ben and Joe.

“Oh, ugh yeah! This is Rami,” Joe gestured towards Green eyes, and Ben smiled in greeting. “He usually picks up Beth”.

“Yeah, I’ve seen you around a few times,” Ben kicked at the ground before nodding back towards the game. “You better go back”.

“Yeah,” Joe sighed, raising his arm towards his team. They seemed to settle, going back to talking between themselves rather than shouting at Joe. Rami nodded towards the two before walking off with Beth in his arms, the two talking about responsibilities. “You gonna come watch? We have a few more rounds to go”.

“Nah, better not,” again, Frankie sat calmly at Ben’s side, lazily blinking up between her owner and the new man. Ben gestured at his dog, “she’s had enough excitement for one day”.

“She’s very cute,” Joe ducked down to give her a scratch behind her ears. Great - even Ben’s dog likes Joe now. Ben grinned as Joe stood up again, and with a raised hand as a farewell, Joe started jogging backwards, only turning around when Ben tugged on Frankie’s leash and the two made their way back home.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love me some Ben and Gwil friendship

Ben didn’t want to get out of bed. He really didn’t want too, but he could only ignore Frankie licking his face for so long. He groaned, pushing away his baby before sitting up. His body ached from the fall yesterday and he pouted, stretching out his legs as he winced. Frankie wasn’t helping either, bounding up and down his duvet to force him to get out of bed. “Alright missy,” he whispered, pushing back his duvet and swinging bruised legs over the edge of his matress. Who guessed that having a child run into your legs would leave them bruised.

He shuffled out of his room, Frankie padding between his legs and making the simple task of walking a lot harder. He apologised when he stood on her paw, although it was her own fault for being in his way.

“Morning,” Gwilym was evidently awake, eating out of date cereal out of a chipped bowl. Turns out that with a mortgage, taxes and paying bills, a teacher and apprentice vet really didn’t have a lot to spend on gourmet meals. It was like they never left university.

“‘Ornin’” Ben somewhat greeted back, and went about feeding his begging pooch and giving himself some form of a breakfast. The two sat opposite each other, neither talking as they attempted to gear themselves up for the day ahead. Both Gwil and Ben had days off, and had agreed to go into town for the day and actually be social with others. Gwil knew what happened yesterday, and was glad to know that Mystery Man had an actual name, and one which was quite normal.

After breakfast was finished and the two men had gotten dressed and managed to lure Frankie out of hiding, the trio strolled down the street. Although the morning was still new, and clocks had only just struck nine, the sky was clear and the sun harsh. It was a good ten minute walk before the high street started, and it seemed half the town were either working or shopping. Nobody paid attention to the primary school teacher and apprentice vet, and with sunglasses hiding the tired expression of their eyes, they were on the search for caffeine.

Although early for a Sunday, most stores were already opened, and the ones not would be opened after the owners came back from church. A few cafes seemed to be filling nicely, with patrons enjoying a ‘treat’ breakfast. Bens mouth watered looking at the high stacked pancakes with loads of toppings, but he had promised his mum he’d try and defeat his sweet tooth, and he did have an entire pack of Doritos the day before, so he ripped his eyes away. Gwil helpfully didn’t mentioned the slightly slower walk or how Ben was dragging his feet, but he did usher the blond and his dog into the next cafe.

The familiar smell of the coffee Delilah brews lured them in deeper, and they found a table opposite the till and counter. Gwil sat facing the window, always interested in people watching whenever he could. He loved his job and he loved all animals (even if he’s been bitten and scratched a few times) but there wasn’t much time to talk to actual human beings which weren’t your colleagues. Don’t get him wrong, Gwil loves everyone he works with but he can only hear about Lucy’s secret boyfriend so many times in one day.

Ben sat looking more into the store, and Frankie curled up by his feet. Ben saw enough people during the week, and didn’t need to socialise that much. He already felt exhausted from yesterday, but that hadn’t stopped him from gushing about Joe the moment Gwil had walked through the door.

“So,” Gwil grabbed the menu and scanned down it although already knowing his order (flat white, no sugar with whatever fruit salad they had that day). “Mr Mazzello then,” he smirked, not having to raise his eyes to know Ben was blushing.

“Stop calling him that,” Ben muttered, reaching below to stroke Frankie. She was napping, and didn’t need to be petted, but Ben needed the distraction.

“Never would’ve thought you’d go for a parent of a pupil,” Gwil teased further before turning his smile to the waitress coming over to take their order. Although a small establishment with only enough seating for about thirty people, they still did table service. It gave the workers something to do, rather than standing around. Both boys relayed their order, Ben getting a white hot chocolate and blueberry muffin (ignoring Gwil’s raised eyebrows) and ordering one of the homemade treats for Frankie.

“Shut up,” Ben grinned when the waitress left, ears starting to redden. He never thought he’d be in this situation either - never in a million years would’ve he seen himself crushing hard on a dad. “I don’t even know if he’s single”.

“Did he have a wedding ring on?” Gwil lent back in his chair, and caught Ben’s eye. He watched as the green irises flicked back and forth in thought before he answered meekly.

“No-”

“Well he’s not married then”.

“Lots of guys don’t wear a wedding ring,” Ben not so helpfully pointed out, and decided to distract himself by looking at the very interesting fake flowers which haven’t been changed in months, maybe years.

“Fuck off,” Gwil stops Ben from going deeper in his self-pity, “the way you described him in vivid detail multiple times”, again, ignored the full face blush, “he’d totally wear a wedding ring to show off his love”.

“Yeah, well…” Ben didn’t have a response, instead grinning as he started tapping out a beat. He often did it when he didn't know what else to do. The beat wasn’t from anything in particular, more from the nonsense in his brain - it made it look like he was thinking. 

Gwil grinned, proud of himself for making Ben actually happy about it. Ben always had the bad habit of over thinking, and once he was in that spiral, he always made it worse by searching for things he knows would make his mind darker. He’d once locked himself in his room for three days in their university days. 

The two sat in a happy bubble, which only expanded when drinks and snacks arrived, and Frankie joined in when she was lifted onto her owners lap to receive her treat. As long as the dogs weren’t on the table, the staff were fine with them on laps. Ben was going to put her back down but she shuffled her backside into the tiny gap between his thigh and the arm rest, so he shrugged and let her rest there. Ben did a quick Facebook stalk and found Joe’s account. There wasn’t much information on there, but Ben showed a photo to Gwil, and beamed when he got a nod of approval.

Gwil was halfway through a funny anecdote when he suddenly stopped, mouth still hanging open as his eyes went wide and he seemed to track someone through the window. Ben stopped his giggling, and watched Gwil’s body language change from relaxed to tense within a second. Frowning, Ben turned in his seat and saw exactly what Gwil was looking at. 

Joe was crossing the street, making his way to the entrance of the cafe they were currently sitting in. Beth was with him, holding his hand as the kid excitedly told him one of her few stories that even Ben had heard on multiple times. That, alone, wasn’t unusual. What was, was the fact Rami was on the other side, holding her other hand.

“Oh,” Ben felt his chest tighten. They looked like a perfect family, a happy couple with a cute kid. He had suspected it, seeming as how close Beth was to both Rami and Joe, but he hadn’t wanted to believe it. He turned back in his seat, eyes darting to Gwil, who looked equally as shocked.

“Oh shit,” Gwil pushed his chair back, scechring along the floor as he hastily readied himself to leave. Ben followed suit, Frankie seeming to sense the sudden change in mood, sticking close to Ben’s leg with her tail between her legs. The trio weren’t quick enough, and the lot entered from the street. 

Gwil rushed to the counter, feeling Ben stick close. A glance towards the blond saw him looking at everything in the room except for the new entrants. Ben’s shoulders were held high in tension, and only went closer to his ears when Beth spotted them again.

“Mr Hardy!” She screeched, and tried to pull away from her father's hands, but with two people holding her, she didn’t get far.

Not wanting to seem to be ignoring to his student, Ben peaked around Gwil’s protecting form, and smiled only at Beth. “Oh hello!” Frankie obviously recognised Beth, and wagged her tail. The two had a quick bonding session yesterday, and Frankie knew she could get pats, so she glanced up at Ben before walking towards Beth. Ben would seem rude if he stopped his dog, so let them approach. Joe and Rami both seemed to realise she wouldn’t run away this time, so let Beth duck down to stroke Frankie who very happily accepted her patting. 

Ben kept his eyes downcast and smiled softly. Frankie always loved being around children, and seemed very pleased to be getting her pets. “Hey, Ben!” Joe spoke up, and waited until green eyes met hazel. He dazzled Ben with his gleaming smile, and for a moment, Ben’s heart forgot it’s heartbreak and anxiety, and started beating frantically. “Hi,” he smiled weakly. 

“Sorry about yesterday,” Joe motioned down at his daughter scratching Frankie behind the ear, “she just really wants a dog and wanted to show me she can look after one”.

“Oh, that’s ok,” other than the bruises, Ben wasn’t annoyed about yesterday’s happenings, “Frankie loved it anyway”.

“Frankie!” Beth was evidently very good eavesdropper, and squealed the dogs name a few more times in excitement. Although confused as to why she was being called, Frankie only wagged her tail quicker. 

“That’s good then,” Joe was now also looking down at her daughter, and seemed in his own world. As not to seem rude to the other man standing close enough, Ben turned to Rami.

“Nice to meet you,” he managed to get the words out around the sudden lump returning to his throat. As he extended his hand for a proper greeting, Ben knew why Joe was with Rami. His green eyes were deep and seemed to shine on their own accord. He seemed cheeky and full of energy, and shook Ben’s hand with so much warmth that it made Ben dislike him. So not only did he have the man that Ben was majorly crushing on, but he was polite and handsome. Bastard. 

“Hey,” Gwil had finished paying the bill and appeared next to Ben, and quickly introduced himself as Ben’s best friend and housemate. He seemed to emphasis the word ‘friend’ and Ben had to do all within his will not to elbow him in his stomach. “We better get going, actually,” Gwil found a way out of the awkward (at least on their behalf) situation, and was trying to usher Ben out of the door. Beth disappointingly moved back, and waved after Frankie as the three left the cafe.

“Ben, oh shit, I’m so sorry,” Gwil desperately began apologising as they sped walked away, Frankie trotting beside them. “I didn’t mean to get your hopes up”.

“No, it’s fine Gwil,” Ben was begging for Gwil to stop pitying him, and straightened his back to show he was in control, “I thought they were together, that just showed my instinct was right”.

“Still, sorry for that man”.

Although only wanting to go and scream by himself, Ben made them walk around and grab the shopping they needed, although feeling numb inside. He didn’t need pity.


	4. Chapter 4

To say his day was grey was a bit of an exaggeration, but it was near to the truth for Ben. Seeing the Mazzello’s yesterday was all that Ben could think of, over and over again. He was happy for little Beth to have such a happy life, but it didn’t do anything for his aching heart.

It wasn’t common for Ben to fall for someone so easily, but everything about Joe was the type of guy he wanted - and he didn’t even know him! But going off of body language of those around Joe, Ben could tell he was a caring and funny guy.

That didn’t stop him from dragging his feet from the car park to the entrance of the school. Monday was hard for everyone involved, and Ben was going to blame the extra marking he had attempted in his misery yesterday if anyone asks why he seemed so drained. The brightness of the optimistic yellow walls soured Ben’s mood further, and he glared his way down the corridor and into his classroom. He cursed the smiling posters and practically threw his bag onto the floor, tugging the chair back so he could sit in it. He had a while until the students should be arriving, and whereas usually he’d be chugging down some coffees and stealing as many biscuits as he could, Ben instead crossed his arms on his desk and sulkily lay his head on them. He pouted to himself as he whallowed in more pity. Why was everyone else happy except for him? Why was everyone else granted eternal love whilst he only had the shadows? Why was-

“Good morning!” Someone was stood in the doorway, and when Ben recovered from nearly falling off his chair in shock, he saw it was Allen, who taught the first years. Not understanding how the man kept his sanity, Ben was in awe of his skills. The man seemed to really love his job, and would do as much as possible for the kids. Allen seemed to have the perfect life, and Ben only blinked up at the man. Whilst Allen was happily married, got a good house and an actual plan for his life, Ben had finished off two tubs of cheap ice cream last night. 

“Hi,” Ben didn’t bother getting up - they were friends, no point in bothering with formalities - but did indicate for Allen to enter. He eyes the extra cup in Allen’s hand, and squealed when the fellow foreigner handed it to grateful hands. Allen was Irish, and had moved over to America in his mid-twenties and ended up staying. He had also been metaphorically adopted by the headmaster and had been teaching here a few years longer than Ben. 

“Hard weekend?” Allen perched on the edge of the desk, just about missing the sparkly unicorn sticker Jessica Howard had stuck there for her favourite teacher. Ben grunted in answer, and took a few tentative sips of his coffee (made perfectly, Allen was a saint) before he used his words.

“You wouldn’t believe it, mate,” Ben was very aware that he was avoiding eye contact with Allen, but like hell was he going to show all his emotions this early in the morning.

“Well, I’m here if you need me,” Allen patted Ben on the shoulder, but understood that that particular conversation thread had ended there. So he changed the subject and the two made pointless chatter about the weather, Allen’s wife, their football teams back over the pond, and their plans for the upcoming teacher-parent evening. 

“I’ll probably do it in my class,” Ben had long since finished his perfect coffee, but continued to play with the stained mug in his hand, “don’t see why I should go to another class and take away some space and privacy from someone else”.

Allen hummed, eyes not focusing on anything in particular as he sorted out his own plans, “yeah, I don’t really understand why Molly and Heather brought up the idea of sharing classes,” he shrugged, before checking his watch. “Right, love our chat, but gotta go”. Allen stood from Bens desk and grabbed both mugs, “don’t want the rascals to get access to an empty room”.

“Don’t know how you can handle the youngsters,” Ben sighs, stretching his back whilst also glancing at the cat face clock on his wall. Yep, five minutes until show time.

“Could say the same to you,” Allen chuckled and waved at Ben over his shoulder as he left the room.

Ben felt somewhat better, could see some colours between the shades of grey, but still very much whallowing in his own pity. Of course he fell for the hot guy with the hot partner. Rami was probably super successful as well, and could afford to take Joe around the world and give him lavish stuff. Ben could never. He could probably pay for plane tickets back home, but that’s about it. 

\---------------------------------------

The school day was as boring as ever. Instead of being his usual bubbly and excitable self, Ben had droned on to his students about topics none of them were interested about and had snapped unnecessarily at them if they picked on one another. A tension headache had long since settled behind Ben’s eye sockets and when the final bell rang, Ben just gestured to the class that they were dismissed before falling heavily back into his chair and rubbing the bridge of his nose.

He listened to the tiny footsteps of his students file out, and caught the tail ends of conversations, but when a small hand tapped at his elbow, Ben jumped back with a startled scream.

Below him stood a calm-as-could-be Beth Mazzello. “Hello,” she rocked up onto her toes and smiled up at her teacher.

Ben’s heart was still trying to escape his rib-cage, but he now knew he didn’t need to scream again or attack anything, “oh,” he pushed away from the corner he was trapped in, “hello Beth”.

“Hello,” she repeated, before shrugging off her bright pink, sparkly oversized backpack (all backpacks looked massive on kids her age) and it hit the floor with a heavy thud. The two remained silent as Beth unzipped and rummaged through her bag before she pulled something out triumphantly. She pushed the piece of paper into Ben’s hand and urged him to look at it.

It was pretty obvious that art wasn’t one of Beth’s strong suits. His eyes scanned over the messy pen squiggles and he was ashamed that he had to tilt his head slightly before realising what she had drawn him. A somewhat stick figure of her standing next to a somewhat stick figure of Frankie, both of them somehow smiling (could dogs smile like that?) under the pink sun as they stood on purple grass. “I LOEV FRANKY” was scribbled underneath, the letters curving to run down the page rather than across it by the end, seeming as the letters also increased in size further along the sentence. 

Ben made a mental note to work on the students handwriting. 

“Thank you!” Ben looked over the drawing again and smiled widely before ducking down, bending his knees so he was eye level with Beth, “Frankie loves you too”.

“When can-” Beth started asking when she’d get to see the dog again, but was cut off by a voice calling from her down the corridor. “Oh, that’s Rami! Got to go! Bye Sir!” And just like that, Beth grabbed her still open bag and sprinted down the hallway. 

Although he tried, Ben couldn’t stop himself from hearing the happy and excited greeting between Beth and Rami, and by the sound of it, there was an inside joke as Beth squealed into laughter. Ben sighed, head falling forward heavy as he pushed himself back up to standing. He positioned himself away from the windows as he went around the classroom tidying up until he was sure that they had left, and only then did he grab the drawing again and give it another look.

Beth was a sweet girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It gets a bit serious next chapter so I'm working hard on getting it right! (Mentions of violence, homophobia and injury)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING! Use of homophobic slur and physical violence described in detail. Please be careful with this chapter and feel free to avoid reading it - message me and I will give you a brief description

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS OF THE HOMOPHOBIC SLUR AND PHYSICAL VIOLENCE IN THIS CHAPTER AS IT MAY BE TRIGGERING TO SOME

Parents evening took near enough an entire day of preparing, and as it was a Friday, Ben didn’t feel that bad about throwing on a DVD to distract the kids as he collected the right papers and prepared himself for his first parents evening. It was a bit different sitting the other side of the desk, and he had made Gwil practice with him a few nights of the week. Thinking about it, Gwil was way too happy to complain about Ben and a few things he said seemed a bit too specific. But practice was practice, and Ben needed as much as he could get.

The other classes had done the same thing as Ben today, and all down the corridor you could hear the chirping of excited children and dialogue from well loved movies. Headmaster May had his door propped open and hummed along to the Frozen dialogue coming from the nearest classroom. The school was very adamant of keeping the kids relaxed and letting them enjoy the day as much as they could (whilst still learning).

Ben’s class was halfway through Moana (second time today, because Tommy needed a toilet break and missed a few minutes so the entire class decided to re-watch it from the beginning, although only being ten minutes from the ending) when the bell rang. The screams of protest from the children were near enough deafening, and Ben was sure the parents waiting for their munchkins outside could hear them, but he still had to usher them out. He only had ten minutes to turn his class around before the first parents came in. 

He rushed around, fluffing up the bean bags in the corner and organising the books pulled down from the shelves during the day, and with a few minutes left, Ben pulled the button up and tie he had hung up in the storage closet and shrugged them on. It was important that he made a good impression as opinions traveled far in this town, and although Ben had made a good impression on many people, it was a bit different with the parents of his students. 

Nervous hands tugged at the bottom of the shirt, and after chewing on the thought, Ben tucked it into the waistband of his trousers. The only really good pair of tailored trousers he owned, the navy fabric had seen him through his graduation and job interviews, and although had been tucked far back in the unorganised mess of a wardrobe, they remained faithful to the blond. The tie was his dads, or so his mum had told him, and had seen better days. Patterned material faded due to age, it had most definitely seen better days, but although Ben didn’t really know his father, the tie offered a small bit of familiar comfort. 

He glanced up from his fussing, and saw that he only had a minute before parents would be entering, wanting to hear about how glorious their child was. Ben grabbed some chairs from the storage closet and carried them over to his desk, setting them up inventingly (could chairs be inviting? Did it matter?). He spent longer than necessary setting them up, but he didn’t know what else to do with his hands. He couldn’t start chewing a pen, he’d look unprofessional, and he’s sure that he end up biting through it.

Down the corridor, Ben heard the front doors being propped open, and the welcoming voice of Headmaster May greeted the first families. Ben panicked, rushing around to his side of the desk and grabbing the list of names. He would show example work, and had small portfolios of the children's work to show the parents. His class made him proud, and although they weren’t all on the same level, he understood that children developed at different time. None of them were worryingly behind, and those who were lacking worked well with a little bit extra attention. 

Footsteps filled the building, and it wasn’t long before a small family filled his doorway with kind smiles and heartfelt greetings. Clammy palms shook those of more confident parents and the first few meetings went well. A small suggestion of extra study here, funny story there. Gaining more confidence as the day went ahead, when he had a small break in flow, Ben popped into the hallway and grabbed one of the free coffees poured by the headmaster's wife. Ben and Annita chatted about a TV show they were both invested in as he sipped his refreshment, but before long, he was back in his class with another proud mother and beaming child. 

In the back of his mind, Ben couldn’t help but notice the lack of Mazzello’s. Surely they’d want to come and have a talk about Beth’s work? She wasn’t the best student and had a wandering mind, but she showed excellent potential. Sure, it’d hurt to see the happy family, but Ben was a professional and could get over his little crush.

Absentmindedly, Ben found he was chewing on a pen. Quickly stopping himself, Ben was glad he had a break and didn’t do that infront of any families. It was turning into evening now, and the mad initial rush had died down. There were a few kids he hadn’t seen, a couple of which he thought that he needed to speak to the families. 

Ben’s train of thought was interrupted by a knocking on his open door. Getting up from his chair as he turned to see who it was, he put on a smile. “Hello Mr and Mrs Willis!” He gestured for them to enter. Mrs Willis held onto little George’s hand and waddled over to the seat. Heavily pregnant, she sighed in relief of being able to take some pressure off of her feet. Whereas his wife smiled, Mr Willis hardly ever did anything else other than frowning. Ben had come across this family on a few other occasions, twice in school and once in the shopping centre, and Mr Willis was frowning as he ate icecream with his son, so Ben wasn’t surprised when he stalked his way to sit in the available chair, which looked comically small behind his muscular frame. 

Ben directed his smile towards Mrs Willis.

The meeting was going well, or so Ben thought, until he mentioned that George would benefit from some tutoring at home. Mrs Willis nodded, looking slightly upset that her first born needed some aid, but understood where Mr Hardy was coming from. She ran a comforting hand through George’s hair, and was about to ensure the teacher that, yes, they’d make sure he did some extra work, when her husband burst from his chair.

“You saying we don’t know how to look after our boy?” Mr Willis spat, jaw tense and ready to bite. Ben blinked up at the man, holding onto the arm rests as he attempted to understand what was going on. The angered man stepped forward, leaning over the old wooden desk to get in the blonds personal space. Ben leant back in his chair, the squealing of the legs a sharp contrast to the sudden tension building in the room. In this moment, Ben hated that he insisted to have the door closed to have more privacy.

George has started crying, grabbing onto his mother to hide away from his dad. Mrs Willis was in shock, hand on her stomach seeking to comfort her unborn as she pulled George closer to her swollen side. Mr Willis was oblivious on the panic he caused to his growing family, instead fixated on the weasel in front of him who insulted his way of parenting.

“You just think ‘cause you’re from England that you know better than me, huh?” Nostrils flared, the insults kept coming, and Ben didn’t know what to do. He’d only mentioned Georges dropping grades, hadn’t even insisted that the parents had any do in it, just that some extra work will benefit him. He had mentioned it to a different father who was more than happy to help their kid, so why was this family different? “You’re just a fag who thinks he can tell me how to raise my son?”

Oh. That’s the difference. 

Ben felt hot rage course through his blood that this twat thought that who he fancied or wanted to shag would make him any less of a teacher. “I hardly think,” Ben started, holding back his anger as not to scare George, “my sexuality or background make me unable to offer an opinion on how to help your son”.

It wasn’t much of a shock, in fact Ben had been expecting it, when Mr Willis pulled the desk away from Ben, just about avoiding hitting his wife with it, before grabbing Ben up from his chair by his throat and slamming him into wall.

Ben heard a scream, but couldn’t tear his eyes from the bulging ones in front of his own. Mr Willis’ entire face was a furious red, droplets of sweat gathering at his temples as he pushed Ben harder into the wall. Grabbing at the arms holding him up, Ben began pushing back. 

\-------------------------------------------------

Joe continued to hum the song which had been playing on the radio as he and Beth parked the car as they made their way through the entrance way. Holding his daughter's hand tightly in his own, he gave it a reassuring squeeze. She squeezed back, and Joe knew that she was anxious of what would be said tonight. She loved Mr Hardy and didn’t want to be a disappointment to him.

The humming continued as they both grabbed a drink (Squash for them both) and made their way down the yellow corridor to Mr Hardy’s room. Beth began to drag her feet and slow down, and Joe had to stop and kneel in front of her. 

“Pumpkin,” he placed his plastic cup on the paint covered floor, giving her his full attention, “what’s wrong?”

Beth shook her head to begin with, playing with the loose button on her coat, but mumbled out; “I don’t want to make Mr Hardy sad”.

“What you mean?” Joe frowned, gently holding her hand and getting her to look up at him.

“I don’t want him to be sad because of me”. She mumbled again. Seeing his daughters dark brown eyes full of anxiety, Joe pulled her close to his chest and gave her a bone crushing hug and small arms wrapped around his neck. “I know you said he seemed sad this week,” Joe whispers so his daughter can hear him, “but I don’t think that’s because of you Pumpkin”.

“You sure?” She whispered back, sniffling into his shirt.

“100%”, he pulled back from the hug and gave her a gentle smile. She returned it, and both ignored her wet eyes and the snot dribble now on Joe’s clean shirt, which, he picked out especially for this.

Joe grabbed his cup and finished his drink, placing it on the short table behind Beth before the two started down the corridor again, and were a just about to knock on the closed door of Mr Hardy’s classroom when Joe heard shouting. He gripped Beth’s hand tighter as the little girl let out a squeal of fear as the sound of furniture scraping along the floor echoed out of the room. A rough bang made him push his daughter behind him and they backed away from the door. 

“Stay here, Elizabeth,” Joe glanced down at his daughter, who nodded in agreement, before her father pushed the door open. Beth shielded her eyes with a tearful wail. Her father’s figure in the doorway didn’t manage to conceal the event in the classroom. Mr Hardy was pushed up against the back wall, standing on his toes as he desperately clawed at the hand around his throat as a fist slammed into the right side of his face, once, twice, before Joe managed to let out an irate yell, charging at the mountain of a man punching the blond.

Beth’s scream alerted those who could not hear the commotion, and teachers heads poked out of classrooms. Families and colleagues alike rushed to the little girl, offering help before realising what had caused her to cry out.

Mr Willis rushed from the room, having been pulled off of Ben by Joe. He shoved past everyone, using their shock to his advantage as he hastily made his way out of the building and driving away before anyone realised what had happened. Mrs Willis was shaking, holding young George in her arms in hopes of giving comfort. Mr Hollander stepped into the room first, rushing the mothers side to check if she was okay.

Joe was kneeling by Ben, holding the younger man up as he slumped against the wall. “In, one two three,” concentrating on getting the blond to take in steady breathes, Joe ignored the worrying crowd. 

Unshed tears clouded Bens vision, but he held onto the figure in front of him, a clumsy hand attempting to undo the tie around his neck which felt tight, too tight, please help. The figure in front of him pulled and tugged at the tie until it fell loose across his shoulders, but still Ben was struggling to breath. Through the mix of panic and bruised muscle, he just couldn’t get in a strong enough gasp. 

“Call an Ambulance,” someone shouted, the sound too loud. Joe didn’t care, he had to look after Ben. “Come on,” he whispered, maneuvering himself so he was the only thing Ben would be able to see, “steady breathes, come on”.

Eyes trailing Joe’s movements, Ben fixated on anything the figure was doing. Once Joe realised this, he used his hand to make the signals of his chest inflating and deflating, watching as Ben started to copy.

Ben couldn’t hear anything over the blood rushing in his head, the pressure overwhelming. He reached forward and grabbed the figures free arm, holding it in shaky hands. He breathed in, one two three, out, one two three, continuing the process until he got a good gulp of air, choking and coughing as it rushed through his damaged throat, but he managed! He tried again, and again, until it became easier to breath and concentrate. Slowly the figure came into focus, and Ben realised that it was Joe.

Joe couldn’t help the smile on his face when Ben started to breath with more easy. Yes, he was worried about the redness and the shallow cuts on the throat, but Ben was starting to get his strength back, and was sitting up a little straighter. He was still heavily leaning against the filing cabinet, but he was lifting his head and actually looking at Joe.

“Hey,” Joe smiled when Ben was breathing a bit easier, moving from squatting down to sit properly, Ben still holding onto his forearm. The corner of Bens lips turned up in a smile as he wheezed through his breaths, but he was more focused. The pressure in his head was beginning to ease into a headache, which although still annoying, was better than before and Ben blinked heavy eyes against the fluorescent lighting of the classroom.

“Ben,” Allen was by side Joe’s side, and startled them both, but meant well. “Oh my god,” the Irishman ducked down, holding Bens shoulder as he looked the blond over. He was bleeding from the nose, which was undoubtley causing more problem breathing, appeared to be getting a black eye and had a few small cuts across the right side of his face. The throat was more worrying, a hideous dark red with an obvious hand print appearing, but he was breathing unaided. 

Joe, realising that someone who cared about Ben was at hand, gently pulled his arm free, nudging Allen. The teacher moved over and took Joe’s place as the red-head got up and stumbled away, legs feeling weak as the shock of what just happened took place. He didn’t know how he got that fucker off of Ben, but in his focused rage he knew that was the only thing that mattered. He wished he could’ve done more, but Ben was safe. 

He made his way out of the classroom and that the Headmaster's wife holding his crying daughter. “Oh Beth,” he whined, bee-lining to the position further down the hall they had taken her. He fell to his knees by the chair Annita was sitting in, and gently coaxed his hands to his daughters. Realising her father was there, Beth burst into fresh tears but climbed down to be with him.

“Daddy,” she cried, clutching his shirt as she wailed. Joe’s own tears rolled down his cheeks as he cradled his shaking child. He brushed his lips to the crown of her head, and let the emotions of the last few minutes take over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It couldn't be a me story without a bit of angst - I live for that shit.
> 
> But being serious, this was a hard chapter to write. It was loosely based on some sexist experiences that I have personally experienced, but it was very hard to write and was very close to being deleted. I discussed with my friend about it and it was decided that something along this line was needed as it is happening across the world. Please, I do apologise if this is triggering to some people.


	6. Chapter 6

The paramedics took another ten minutes to arrive, but Ben hadn’t moved much. Allen had helped him move to sit upright against the filing cabinet, and although he was breathing unaided, his chest was burning from a shortage of oxygen. Although he tired, he just couldn’t get enough air in.

He was lifted onto the ambulance trolley, kept in a sitting position but strapped down across his lower abdomen and legs to hold him upright. An oxygen mask was placed over his face, and Ben couldn’t get enough of the cold air coming in. His nose had clotted up and his mouth wiped to ensure he wasn’t breathing in any dry blood. They began to wheel him out of the class. 

Headmaster May stood there waiting, tears in his eyes as he smiled softly at Ben. Someone in his family was hurt, and he couldn’t do anything to stop the pain. Annita stood at his side, holding her husbands arm in comfort. Ben raised a heavy arm to let him know he was alright. They continued down the hallway, and Ben heard a familiar voice call out his name. 

Craning his neck, he saw Beth clinging to Joes neck, sniffling as she watched through tearful eyes as Ben wheeled past her. Ben felt his own eyes well up, and it wasn’t helped by the obvious tear tracks staining Joe’s cheeks. 

As they went through the main door, Ben caught a glimpse of Rami rushing from the car park, probably coming to comfort his family, but what caused more surprise was Gwilym running from the same parked car. 

“Ben!” The Welshman rushed to the trolley, grabbing one of the barriers as the paramedics continued to walk. Another set of eyes scanned his injuries, and Ben wasn’t surprised by the chocked gasp. Everyone had the same reaction. Allen couldn’t even stop from wincing at each wheeze. 

Ben grabbed Gwil’s hand, still not willing to talk, and nodded slightly at the paramedics question if he was to travel with them. Gwil and a paramedic climbed into the back, the other paramedic moving to the front with the driver. They didn’t expect his condition to worsen suddenly, so there was no need to crowd the back. 

Ben eyed the equipment shuffling to the side as much as the restraints would allow him. He wasn’t overly fond of needles or medicine, would much rather sleep off a headache or cold rather than take a pill. Ben’s heart rate increased as the male paramedic began rifling through one of the draws, not calming when Gwil held his shoulder. He sighed in relief once a heart rate armband was pulled out. The medic made swift work of getting his blood pressure, muttering to himself as he made notes when he tested Ben’s pupils.

It wasn’t long until they arrived at the hospital, and Ben was wheeled into the E.R. Gratefully, Gwillym was allowed with him as they wheeled him into a spare section, pulling the curtain around to offer privacy.

“When I got a phone call,” Gwil fell into the uncomfortable plastic chair next to his bed, “from school saying you got attacked, I was about ready to hijack a car”. Ben chuckled (which turned into a wince) at the mental image of Gwil breaking the law. “I started running there instead”. The house was close enough to Animal Ark that Gwil saw no need of an extra expense of a car to get to work, rather he just walked. “I just got to the end of the road when a car stopped next to me, and low-and-behold, Green Eyes from the other day was leaning out of his window and telling me to get in”.

Ben raised his eyebrows as he continued to stare at Gwilym. He hadn’t been expecting that. 

“I don’t know how he knew where I wanted to go, but I didn’t even say anything as we sped towards the school,” Gwil fiddled with the sleeve of his jumper. The thread was beginning to become loose from his distracted habit, and the blue material took all the taller mans attention. Ben hummed next to him, eyes also focusing on the sleeve and the two sat there for a moment, comfortable with one another.

Gwil was used to Ben needed company, and understood that sometimes it worked better when they were both silent. Just having a familiar presence near him would sometimes be enough to calm the blonds nerves. Ben would take the weight of the world on his shoulders and would never burden anyone else with his own, pressing problems. If he was in a bad mood, it has been known for the blond to purposefully look for the worst to give himself a reasoning. It was bad during university, and he missed lectures and seminars due to it, and although it’s gotten better over the years, he still needs that calming mind in stressful or hurtful situations. So here they sat, two best friends on foreign ground, one in need of medical aid and the other there for support, doing what they do best: being there for one another. 

\--------------------

A nurse had come around and done a brief medical overlook, followed by a doctor and another doctor. They all were shocked at the scales of the injuries but were relieved at the lack of deep damage. “You’ll be fine within three weeks-” doctor Two had said, “won’t be any long term side effects”.

Ben was discharged seven hours after first wheeling through the doors after some observations and blood tests. The oxygen levels in his blood weren’t cause for alarm and the medical staff were happy for him to leave with some prescribed medication and a check up appointment scheduled for the following week.

It was only when Ben and Gwil blinked into the dark outside that they realised that they had no way of getting back to theirs. “Shit,” Ben croaked out, having begun trusting his vocal chords and throat when they had been there for hour two, and could near enough speak normally if he ignored the shooting pain of bruised muscles. Nothing louder than a stage whisper at the moment but he’d get there. 

“‘Shit’ indeed,” Gwil mumbled before pulling out his phone and looking up the local taxi service. Uber and Lyft weren’t in use around these small towns, but there were plenty of other taxi services around that would be willing to come pick them up at nearing three in the morning. 

Gwil wandered off a few meters as he talked to the driver and gave the address, but Ben was just focusing on how cold it was. Wearing a dress shirt was a good idea for the disaster of a parents evening but not so much for standing outside an isolated hospital in the middle of fucking nowhere. If it wasn’t for Ben’s anxiety surrounding hospitals, he’d suggest that they go and sit in the waiting room, but most of the red plastic seats of the small room were occupied and Ben didn’t feel like sitting in a room with people in pain or on their deathbeds. So, shivering outside was the option.

His taller friend returned, and gave the estimated time of five minutes to him. They both knew that five minutes was being optimistic, and they were correct, because seventeen minutes later, a little silver Honda civic pulled up in front of them and they climbed in. The driver eyed the hand print bruise on Ben’s neck but said nothing as he began driving back to their house. 

It wasn’t long before they scraped together the right amount of change (and a little tip for the late night) and climbed out the car, shivering their way up the front porch and into the familiar presence of their home. Frankie went ballistic, sprinting from Ben’s room and colliding into her owner at full speed. Ben stumbled backwards as he rushed to grab his dog launching herself up his body, and he collided with Gwil, who also then stumbled back out the house. Now holding a wiggling dog in his arms (who was both whining at the absence of Ben and the smell of him whilst also wagging her tail so much that it was hurting Ben trying to hold her), Ben turned and apologised to Gwil, who just shrugged and made his way back inside and into the small kitchen. He placed the bag of medication on the counter top, far away back that Frankie wouldn’t be able to get to them, even if she climbed up again, before making the two of them drinks. Lemon and a generous amount of honey were loaded into Ben’s cracked Jurassic Park mug, and once the steaming water was added, the two shuffled the short distance to the sofa. Found in a charity shop, like most of the rest of the furniture, the old sofa had stains and dog fur embedded deep into its material. Frankie stayed close to Ben’s side, tucked between him and the arm rest and her watchful eyes viewed Ben’s hand movements every time he took a tentative sip.

They didn’t talk about much, Gwil mentioning how Lucy was trying to convince her boyfriend to adopt the three legged, half an ear kitten which had been brought in the week prior, but mainly they watched some of re-runs of a show that neither of them cared about. The only light other than the TV screen on was of the lamp in the corner of the room, placed carefully between the TV stand and bookcase. The warm light reminded Ben of how tired he was, and with heavy eyes, an hour after coming home, Ben uncrossed his legs, wished Gwil a goodnight, placed his mug on the counter and shut himself in his room, Frankie weaving between his legs the entire time.

The blond shrugged off his shirt and dropped his slacks, toeing off his shoes and socks before climbing into bed. He shifted around under the duvet, body aching from the events, but eventually he curled up in the corner in a nest of pillows and blankets and settled down for sleep. It was only then, when he was alone, that he let the tears flow.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's back, back again. This girls back, back again. 
> 
> lol I forgot I had this chapter written up and ready to post so do forgive me

After tossing and turning most of the night, Joe had been thankful when Beth climbed into his bed and straight into his arms. Although he was feeling like shit and was still shaken up by the whole ordeal, having his daughter with him gave him something to concentrate. The rest of the night consisted of Joe stroking Beths hair over and over, long after she had fallen asleep, and with her steady breathing ghosting his collarbone, Joe managed to get some sleep in as well. 

In the morning, Joe spent extra time cutting his daughter’s toast into dinosaur shapes and using extra jam on the pieces he messed up. Beth didn’t take much time admiring the artistry of her breakfast and managed to scoff them all down in the time in took Joe to pour himself some cereal. 

After breakfast, it took some convincing to get the Mazzello’s off the sofa they had draped themselves on, but Joe needed to do some things today and slowly but surely, the hours were ticking by and escaping him. Closer to mid-day than intended, they locked the front door and made their way into town, hands clasped tightly.

Joe lived close enough to the town centre that he didn’t need to use the car all the time. Their house was bigger than many on the street, had a good yard and plenty of growing space - handed down to Joe from his parents who moved to the town over. The small area Joe called home was good enough for him but he understood it didn’t appeal to everyone. 

Beth preferred the quiet community anyway - always outside doing something. Her favourite at the moment was making mud pies and prodding Joe until he ‘ate’ it. His lovely colourful flowers had long since been destroyed and dug out in favour of his daughter rampage of mud-pie-cafe. There was a small plastic play house in the corner of the garden, full of spiders and other insects. It had been gifted by a lovely neighbour whose children had long outgrown it, but Beth prefered to be outside in all that means. The amount of times Joe had had to chase a tiny naked Beth around the garden and pull a worm from her hand/ear/mouth.

But right now, with no worm in sight, Beth dragged her feet. She was grouchy from lack of sleep - already so concerned for others - and slightly sticky from residue jam (also known as dino blood). Joe tugged her along for a few more minutes but when she simply stopped walking and dragged her feet under her, Joe gave up, stopping and leaning down, placing his princess on his shoulders as he continued into town. 

Walking into main street with his daughter clinging to his ears, Joe stopped to greet some familiar faces. It wasn’t unusual to find the young Mazzello on her father's shoulders, and a friendly shop owner was even prepared with a lolly for her to suckle on as Joe stopped and nattered about the changing weather to anyone and everyone. 

An hour later, Joe’s bag full of the weeks groceries, he made a familiar turn down a certain street. Beth, now back on her own two legs, squealed and started running towards the big building. Joe had to run after her, grasping his bag to his chest so the lettuce wouldn’t escape. Beth bounded up the stone steps and rushed through the open doors, still squealing. 

Joe finally got inside, only panting slightly as he stopped in the main lobby. Having been here for the last couple of years, Beth hadn’t really known a time before her dad worked at the museum, and although small, she still gave every piece her full attention. 

It doesn’t really change all to often, sometimes a traveling piece comes in for a couple of weeks, but the permanent features still needed to be cared for. Joe ducked behind the reception desk, greeted John as he left his groceries on the floor before following his daughters noises deeper into the museum. 

Hearing some familiar voices, Joe couldn’t stop the smile on his face even before he fully came into the Egyptian area. 

Rami was kneeling next to Beth, both talking a million miles an hour about the one mummy the museum has. They have a tradition to talk to the mummy as if it was a real person and quite often would make up stories about who they were and what they did. This time, sounds like the mummy was called Mary and she was a very pretty dancer. 

“And-and-and she was really good at doing twirls!” Beth demonstrated to her godfather what she was talking about and stumbled her way through a twirl.

“What did you think of Beth’s twirl, Mary?” Rami stared up at the silent mummy before turning to Beth with a grin, “said you were magnificent, darling”. Beth squaled, blushing her way through a curtsy.

Joe hung back, leaning against the large doorway, happily watching his daughter and best friend interact. Truth be told, Rami was an important part of this rag-tag family. He helped Joe through his toughest times and loneliest hours, and when Beth started to ask questions about her Mommy and why she didn’t come over much anymore, Rami would always distract the little girl and leave Joe some alone time. When Rami told him he was dating the cute veterinary nurse from down the road, Joe had been privately anxious - would this new woman pull Rami away from them? Would she not have time for Beth or Joe? Would he be alone again? But the moment he met Lucy, he knew he worried over nothing. She was brilliant, fitting in as if she had always been apart of the group and the three soon became a four. 

He already had his best man suit picked out. He liked to be prepared.

After he broke up the little moment and he, Rami and Beth had wandered through to the little canteen, the events of last night came up again.

“Man, come on,” Rami had his arms wrapped around Beths waist, who was now dosing on his lap after finally giving in to the sleep her body craved, “Lucy has his address”.

“Yeah, but it’s a bit weird to turn up to the house of your daughters teacher just to ‘check up’ on him”. Just so happened that the teacher was hot and he had a crush on him, but that was for a different crisis moment, “and anyway, what would I even say!” Throwing his arms up in the air, Joe leant backwards, plastic chair creaking as it was pushed up on to it’s two back legs.

“Um, maybe something along the lines of ‘Hope your ok and that dick didn’t hurt you too bad’?” 

“Nah, sounds weird,” Joe stretched further, trusting the thin legs more than he probably should.

“Why don’t you just admit you’ve been having wet dreams about him?” Rami shuffled Beth so she snuggled into his chest, freeing up one of his arms and allowing him to drink his room-temperature coke.

Joe spluttered, losing balance and crashing his chair back forward, checks red and eyes wide as he rapidly checked around the very empty room to make sure that the people who weren’t there didn’t hear that. “What the heck man!”

Rami just shrugged.

“No, no, you know what, no, it was a stupid idea anyway and I shouldn’t have even listened to you,” Joe crossed his arms and glared at Rami, ignoring his flaming ears.

“But you did, because you want to go see Mr. Hotty and need an excuse,” Rami took another slurp from his drink as he stared down his best friend. They had known each other for ten years, there was no reason to play coy and pretend not to know each other's mannerisms. Like Joe shifting his eyes just over Rami’s shoulder meant that he was right but Joe didn’t want to admit it.

“Turning up at his house ain’t cool though,” Joe mummered, “‘Oh yeah, hope you don’t mind,’” Joe began in a mocking voice, “‘My bestfriends girlfriend happens to work with your housemate and gave me your address because I think your hot and was wondering if you’d like to go get a drink sometime?’” He finished with a pointed stare and arched an eyebrow.

Rami just shrugged again, “maybe you don’t have to go in so much detail and maybe some small talk before you ask him on a date, but yeah, that’s the right idea”.

Joe just groand, letting his head fall heavy on the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If your not reading my other Hardzello story, then you totally should because it's totally rad and super cool and I update that more than this (soz).
> 
> Scream into the void and the void will produce more chapters. It's me. I'm the void. Scream at me. Give me validation. Please.


	8. Chapter 8

“Gwil, mate, come on,” Ben kicked his leg without any power towards his friend. Lounging on the sofa, legs propped over the coffee stained arm rest, Ben had decided that this was his natural habitat and he had no interest in leaving it ever again. 

Gwilym caught the blond’s ankle effortlessly, glaring down at Ben from where he was standing to the side of the sofa, “No, you haven’t left the house in days”.

“I totally have”.

“Letting Frankie out in the back garden doesn’t count”.

“I totally haven’t”.

“Exactly,” Gwil huffed, tugging the ankle until Ben was being dragged further over. He ignored the panicked screams and kept pulling, with Ben finally agreeing to move after rolling off the sofa and landing on the dusty rug below in an attempt to get away from the attack. Face down, Ben mumbled his curses into the floor and ignored Frankie licking at his ear until it got too much and he had to get up.

Ben had been given the week off to allow him time to heal, and Ben had loved not having to wake up early on Monday, and had followed this trend into Tuesday. But by the time Wednesday had come around, Ben had to admit that it was getting ridiculous and he was, in fact, bored. Gwil had come home early afternoon and after having Ben whine about how bored he was, had lasted ten minutes before pulling his housemate off the sofa.

“Go get dressed,” Gwil didn’t give him a chance to answer, instead turning and walking up the stairs to his little office space (and storage space because these two fully grown men sometimes didn’t understand that they didn’t need to buy the new shiny thing). 

Ben groaned, rolling on his side before hitting the coffee table. Right, ok, he should get up instead of rolling to his room. Walk like a normal human. Walking. Ok.

He was three normal human steps towards his room when the doorbell rang. Stopping mid-stride, he listened to hear Gwil coming down the stairs but instead heard a bored “no” spoken over the banister. 

The blond grumbled again as he turned and walked back towards the door. The well-wishers and sympathy-givers had finished knocking on their door by mid-evening Monday, and it wasn’t like they were expecting anyone to visit them, so Ben peeped through the slim window next to the door.

“Oh shit”.

That did make the footsteps appear. “What?”

“It’s hot dad Mazzello,” Ben staged whispered at Gwil over his shoulder. Hot Dad Mazzello was standing at his door, at HIS door, and here Ben stood in threadbare underwear and dorito dust covered shirt which must be at least six years old. 

“Oh shit” Gwil agreed. 

“What am I-” the doorbell rang again behind him and Ben’s knees buckled in confusion and fear but Gwil grabbed him and turned him around, facing the door again. The Welshman used his ridiculously long arms to grab the door handle from around Ben and pulled the door open with a smile.

“Hi!” Gwil greeted Joe, giving Ben a slight shove. The bastard.

“Hey,” Ben’s voice seemed a fraction to high and he cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Hope I wasn’t, um, intruding anything?” Joe glanced between the deep red blush on Ben’s cheeks (oh god he was even cute when blushing) and the slightly crazed look in Gwilyms eyes and felt like he was definitely missing something.

“Oh no, no!” Gwil beamed, his eyes looking crazier and Ben’s blush blotching down his neck, “Ben here was just about to get dressed and take his dog for a walk! Come in and have a cup of tea while you wait”. Seeming as Gwil didn’t understand basic human boundaries and was also desperate to get his friend laid, he extended his arm and grabbed Joe by the arm, pulling him in. 

“Oh ok,” Joe just accepted it as he shuffled forward, Ben now squished between the two men as they made tiny steps backwards into the house and the door swung closed behind their guest. 

Ben smiled tightly, “hi,” he greeted again, with Joe responding with a curt nod and a smile reflecting the blonds. Deeming them far enough in, Gwil finally let go of the two, releasing them from their chest-to-chest shuffle before he bound across the small room into the designated kitchen corner. When the real-estate agent said it was an “open concept yet cuddly layout”, they weren’t lying, as the back of the sofa acted as the unofficial wall between the kitchen and living room. 

“Go, get dressed Hardy, I’ll entertain,” Gwil called over his shoulder and grinned to himself as he heard the frantically embarrassed steps of his best friend retreat to his room. “Now, Joseph - Am I allowed to call you Joseph?- Tea or Coffee?” 

“Um,” Joe slowly turned his head from watching Ben run off to look at Gwil, who was suddenly staring at him with raised eyebrows, “Yeah, you can call me Joseph I guess, and I’ll have, uhh, water please if you don’t mind”.

Gwil gestured towards the well-used dining table, “yeah, we can do that for you”. Abandoning the mug cupboard, Gwil grabbed two glasses from the drying rack and filled them with the best tap water available in the Lee-Hardy household. 

He let his guest take two gulps of water before starting up the conversation again, “so, why you here?”

No point in hitting around the bush.

“Oh,” Joe would’ve spluttered if he had been in the process of drinking, “my friend said I should come and check on Ben, and I thought I might as well, seeming as he’s my daughters teacher”. He shrugged, deciding the pen mark on the table was more interesting than anything else.

Gwil hmmd, deciding that was only half a truth, but deciding that ‘is it really because you have a crush on Ben? Because he has a crush on you’ was probably inappropriate. So, instead, he took another sip of his drink as he continued to stare at Joe. What’s your game, Mazzello?

Just as the air was turning tense and Joe had begun fidgeting, Ben exited his room and rushed/walked down the short corridor back to the living area. He was only in his fourth outfit decision, yet felt like he should’ve gone with the second choice. God dammit, Joe was going to think he was a slut, wearing a tight t shirt. Why didn’t he cover himself up more? The hand print on his neck was an ugly bruised blotch and Ben had considered the horrid turtle neck shoved at the back of his closet but decided that would make him look more weird than he already does. So, obviously, his mind went a completely different direction and decided that a skin-tight t shirt was better. Welp, it was too late now as both Gwil and Joe was staring at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok don't be annoyed at me for leaving you guys waiting so long, but here is some words I'm alright with. Just needed to post something to get back out the rutt.

**Author's Note:**

> Come shout at me at bohrapbois on tumblr! I post one-shots and brainstorm ideas so throw your ideas at me until I do something!  
> Use the comments to encourage me to update because I have a tendency to get side-tracked.


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